If winning the FIDE World Cup last December and moving up to number five in the ranking list left any doubt, 23 year-old Levon Aronian of Armenia has cemented his place in the World chess elite by winning the 2006 Morelia/Linares Super-GM tournament. This year the number of participants was increased to eight and the tournament was split between the Mexican town of Morelia for the first half and the traditional venue of Linares in Spain for the second.
Aronian finished on 8½/14 half a point ahead of the promising19 year-old Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijanand the pre-tournament favourite, Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria. Topalov recovered from a nightmare first half to be sharing the lead in the penultimate round with Aronian, Radjabov and the early leader, Peter Leko of Hungary. But while Topalov and Radjabov were both held to draws in the final round, Aronian beat Leko with the Black pieces to take clear first.
Today's game is the last round win that gave victory to Aronian. The annotations are based on those of GM Marin.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.a4
Anti-Marshall lines like this in the Ruy Lopez have become a common sight at this level since the once daring Marshall Gambit ( 8 c3 d5!?) has been shown to be a dangerous weapon for Black. 8. --- b4 9.d3 d6 10.a5 Be6 11.Nbd2 Qc8 12.Nc4 Rb8 13.Bg5 Kh8!
A new move of great depth: After ...Ng8, the contact between bishops will possibly open a path for the knight to the g6-square, which, in combination with the opening of the f-file with ....f5 will offer Black a strong kingside initiative. White's reply intending c3 and d4 to gain the centre is a little slow against this plan and weakens the kingside. The immediate 14 d4 came into consideration. 14.h3?! Ng8 15.c3 bxc3 16.bxc3 f5
Black's rooks exert strong pressure along the b- and f-files, while the battery Q+B creates tactical threats against the h3-pawn. White loses ground in the centre and his minor pieces are vulnerable. 17.Ba4 fxe4 18.Bxc6 exf3 19.Bxe7 Nxe7 20.Bxf3 Ng6
The weakness of 14 h3 is shown in that 21 g3 restricting the Black knight is not possible. 21.Bg4 Nf4 22.Ra2? Qb7!
Unpinning the bishop and exploiting the vulnerability of White's rook. Black is winning as material losses on the queenside are inevitable. 23.Bf3 Qb3 24.Rc2 Nxd3 25.Qxd3 Qxc4 26.Qxc4 Bxc4 27.Bc6 Rb3 28.g3 g5 29.Re3 Ra3
Winning a second pawn, but it takes a third before White accepts defeat. 30.Be4 Rxa5 31.g4 Bd5 32.f3 Bxe4 33.fxe4 Ra1+ 34.Kg2 Rff1 35.Ree2 Rg1+ 36.Kh2 Rh1+ 37.Kg3 Rag1+ 38.Rg2 Re1 39.Rgf2 Re3+ 40.Kg2 Rexh3
Aronian has arrived
Problem: White to play and mate in 3.
If winning the FIDE World Cup last December and moving up to number five in the ranking list left any doubt, 23 year-old Levon Aronian of Armenia has cemented his place in the World chess elite by winning the 2006 Morelia/Linares Super-GM tournament. This year the number of participants was increased to eight and the tournament was split between the Mexican town of Morelia for the first half and the traditional venue of Linares in Spain for the second.
Aronian finished on 8½/14 half a point ahead of the promising19 year-old Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijanand the pre-tournament favourite, Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria. Topalov recovered from a nightmare first half to be sharing the lead in the penultimate round with Aronian, Radjabov and the early leader, Peter Leko of Hungary. But while Topalov and Radjabov were both held to draws in the final round, Aronian beat Leko with the Black pieces to take clear first.
Today's game is the last round win that gave victory to Aronian. The annotations are based on those of GM Marin.
1.e4 e5
2.Nf3 Nc6
3.Bb5 a6
4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7
6.Re1 b5
7.Bb3 0-0
8.a4
Anti-Marshall lines like this in the Ruy Lopez have become a common sight at this level since the once daring Marshall Gambit ( 8 c3 d5!?) has been shown to be a dangerous weapon for Black.
8. --- b4
9.d3 d6
10.a5 Be6
11.Nbd2 Qc8
12.Nc4 Rb8
13.Bg5 Kh8!
A new move of great depth: After ...Ng8, the contact between bishops will possibly open a path for the knight to the g6-square, which, in combination with the opening of the f-file with ....f5 will offer Black a strong kingside initiative. White's reply intending c3 and d4 to gain the centre is a little slow against this plan and weakens the kingside. The immediate 14 d4 came into consideration.
14.h3?! Ng8
15.c3 bxc3
16.bxc3 f5
Black's rooks exert strong pressure along the b- and f-files, while the battery Q+B creates tactical threats against the h3-pawn. White loses ground in the centre and his minor pieces are vulnerable.
17.Ba4 fxe4
18.Bxc6 exf3
19.Bxe7 Nxe7
20.Bxf3 Ng6
The weakness of 14 h3 is shown in that 21 g3 restricting the Black knight is not possible.
21.Bg4 Nf4
22.Ra2? Qb7!
Unpinning the bishop and exploiting the vulnerability of White's rook. Black is winning as material losses on the queenside are inevitable.
23.Bf3 Qb3
24.Rc2 Nxd3
25.Qxd3 Qxc4
26.Qxc4 Bxc4
27.Bc6 Rb3
28.g3 g5
29.Re3 Ra3
Winning a second pawn, but it takes a third before White accepts defeat.
30.Be4 Rxa5
31.g4 Bd5
32.f3 Bxe4
33.fxe4 Ra1+
34.Kg2 Rff1
35.Ree2 Rg1+
36.Kh2 Rh1+
37.Kg3 Rag1+
38.Rg2 Re1
39.Rgf2 Re3+
40.Kg2 Rexh3
1-0
Solution: 1 Qh6 Bf8 2 Qg5+ Bg7 3 Qxg7#.